Adil Najam
This graphic video of the brutal murder of 19 year of Sarfraz Shah being confronted and shot dead by Rangers – supposedly because he was a robber refusing to surrender – is only the latest in a string of state and societal resort to violence that makes one wonder if we have gone totally mad: Lynchings in Sialkot, disappearances and killings in Balochistan, shaming of protesters in Rawalpindi, vigilante justice in Karachi, shootings over load-shedding in Multan, bombings of shrines in Lahore, slaying of a woman Minister in Gujranwala, slaughter of a Christian Minister in Islamabad, and a culture of anger and a validation of violence everywhere, including and most horrendously by those who are supposed to be the custodians of our safety and security.
We are including the graphic video of the brutal murder of Sarfraz Shah, but after the ‘fold’. Reader discretion is required. But if you can bear to watch it, then do so. Because it is well past time that we stop ignoring the rot that threatens our every pore.
What can one do except hold ones head in shame and sadness, and ask oneself: Have we gone totally mad?
Despite the anger and angst that swells within each vein, I would like to believe that we have not. I still believe in Pakistan and Pakistanis. Maybe I do so because I have no option but to believe so. But more than that I do so because I know that even though the insanity is all around me, there is even more disgust and dismay at this insanity. But it is no longer enough to show disgust and dismay. We must speak up – as so many actually are. And that is because I believe that we still have it within ourselves to rise against and reject this violence. If we do not, then who will?
They kill the blasphemy-accused and people garland the murderer, why not then go mad for killing a robber caught red-handed. One has to go through the experience of being robbed and humiliated and then seek the support of law to realize that it was better to fight and kill or be killed instead of reporting the case to so called law-enforcing authorities and the courts. A robber being a blasphemer against humanity and an out-law does not deserve any sympathy or legal right. It is indeed criminal madness to have any sympathy for a robber caught red-handed.
You have indeed gone mad. And your madness is this: no matter how clear it is that an horrible act was committed by members of your own police/army forces, there will ALWAYS be people among you who will find excuses for them.
Some of you here said one should “see the other side of the story”. What other side is there? The video is very clear: at least 6 armed and well built military men were surrounding a skinny youth. At the time of the shooting he is very clearly NOT ARMED (he was just dragged there, army guy hand in his hair and all). They could have easily subdued him, arrested him, taken him to court. There was absolutely no threat from the guy, so the western media reported things quite accurately: an unarmed and possibly innocent of any crime (until proven in court) young man was shot point blank and left there to bleed to death, while crying for help.
This case shows clearly how deep your madness goes: it wasn’t American troops that could be blamed, it wasn’t taliban that could again be blamed on some third party of choice, it was your own people. So naturally, the blame had to go on the only person left: the victim.
Looking at the some of the comments I think “we actually have gone mad!”
We always tend to ignore or avoid looking at the other side of story. Have you considered what made this Ranger, who had no personal issue with the deceased, shoot at him? Did you know how many times he faces this situation in 24 hrs? If he himself is killed then he is just a number whereas criminals become heroes. This Ranger is always on his tows for others and for his own safety. He has seen his comrades killing or getting killed. He is not Harvard educated? He has no regular breaks remains in anklets and boots in spite of hot weather and carries a weapon he has been told to use where needed. He is expendable, a mean term for a human being. Yes he chose this profession. He did not wish to be a Patwari or a traffic cop or a purse/mobile snatching vagabond like the person he shot. And he did not intend to kill this man.
Now our faulty reactions and our dubious media may make him a criminal too. No one seems to pay any attention to what our commentators Adnan,Meengla,readinglord and Shez are saying, because we have tasted blood in Gujranwala, Sialkot and Karachi too.
HAVE WE GONE MAD?
There were four or five of them ,Instead to shooting this unarmed boy they could have arrested him and handed to police .How could they shoot him like this and no one was even taking or showing any effort to take him to the hospital .This is such an inhuman behaviour.These rangers are worse than animals .Barbarians !!!
Just watched a CNN news bit about the incident. The so-called best news organization in the world is so dumb, or acting like it, that they were calling the guy unarmed and innocent.
As I’ve said in my earlier post, it was a heinous crime to kill that guy. But that does not mean that they should have let him go. A court trial would have been the best thing as anyone watching the video can find that the guy had a gun and had some “majboori.” We can’t believe his words that it was fake.
@Yasar Hasan
Well said dear! Only robbers have the right in this society to rob the people. Even Ansar Barni is these days trying his best to pay off the rights of the Somalian Qazaaqs.
He looks to be a hardened criminal and it is the best way the Rangers did in the prevailing circumstances to deal with such criminals.